Ludwig Van Beethoven

Birth: December 16?, 1770

Death: March 26, 1827

Place of Birth: Bonn, Germany

Principal Residence: Vienna, Austria

Milestones:

1792 Traveled to Vienna to study with Austrian composer Joseph Haydn and settled in the city

1798 Completed the Sonata in C minor op. 13 (Pathétique)

1801 Composed the Sonata in C-sharp minor op. 27/2 (Moonlight)

1804 Completed the Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major op. 55 (Eroica)

1805 Completed the Sonata in F minor op. 57 (Appassionata)

1808 Completed the Symphony No. 5 in C minor op. 67

1809? Was granted an annual salary by Archduke Rudolph and other members of the nobility, which allowed him to live as an independent musician

1818 Completed the Sonata in B-flat major op. 106 (Hammerklavier)

1823 Completed the Mass in D major op. 123 (Missa Solemnis)

1824 Completed the Symphony No. 9 in D minor op. 125 (Choral)

Did You Know: Beethoven never married and was often unhappy in his personal life, which suffered because of his health problems and his constant worrying about his nephew Karl, over whom he had guardianship.

Beethoven acknowledged in the early 1800s that he was losing his hearing; he became completely hearing-impaired around 1819.